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Sketches, Studies, and Stuff

Hey, my name is Mabelma.
I came here because as I was interviewing BoyFugly for my blog he mentioned that this forum was a great help for him because it helped make the artist he his now. So in hopes of improving my art I come here. I've been drawing for about 3-4 years now, even though I'm nowhere near where I want to be as an artist I feel I have improved greatly from my first few drawings. As an artist I want to be able to create breath taking character design, animate fluently and be able to storyboard and make backgrounds correctly. I'm in 10th grade, taking Engineering Drawing, Computer Animation and Drawing as my elective courses. In the future I plan to work as a concept artist or an animator so I'm not an actual hobbyist. Even though I've only been drawing for 3-4 years I want to make the rest of my years worth it and improve as much as i can. Hopefully that explains who I am.Below some of my newest works

A few paintingsMy first comic

Hopefully I didn't break any rules and the images don't stretch the page.

Why thank you, Those are for a contest, might as well make a few more to increase my chances of winning.

How did you draw that comic and what program were you using? I'd love the details so I can help you improve it so you can become awesomer.

Edit: I just realized when you said it was 'My first comic' you didn't mean it was recent and you had only recently started doing comics. It's obvious from your spy that you know how to draw better lines now.

Why thank you, Those are for a contest, might as well make a few more to increase my chances of winning.

How did you draw that comic and what program were you using? I'd love the details so I can help you improve it so you can become awesomer.Photoshop
Edit: I just realized when you said it was 'My first comic' you didn't mean it was recent and you had only recently started doing comics. It's obvious from your spy that you know how to draw better lines now.

You will kill me, when I said my first comic I meant both things, That's my first and most recent comics but yeah lines are atrocious because it didn't really put much effort into them.

I like your style, but I'm not sure I get the joke. I haven't seen Inception yet (waiting on it to come to DVD.) Your lines look clean and you'll get much better with practice. The only qualm here is his knees. The angle he's sitting at is facing directly at the camera. When that's the case, his thighs would be foreshortened or entirely invisible. Foreshortening is a fickle bitch though. I noticed when I was just drawing non-comic things, the issue of foreshortening/perspective rarely came up because I was subconsciously avoiding it, but in comics, you're often forced to do what the scene calls for, so if you draw a comic every day, you'll be super before you know it.

Oh, one little tip I can offer you. Most artists eventually graduate to drawing their own circles instead of using the geometry tools in Photoshop. It is really freeing when you can cater your bubbles to the text instead of vice versa, and they look super awesome, even when they're all over the place in terms of pen pressure.

I really hope that didn't all sound too critical. I wish very much to see you comicking with the best of 'em.

Thank you, I noticed that problem with knees too, might as well fix it. Thanks, I like your idea about a comic a day, I think I can probably pull that off. You've been of great help. Thank you. Can I double post when I fix the knees?

Thank you, I noticed that problem with knees too, might as well fix it. Thanks, I like your idea about a comic a day, I think I can probably pull that off. You've been of great help. Thank you. Can I double post when I fix the knees?

hehe, thanks.
Better?
Also, forgot to explain the joke. You see Inception is a real mindfuck and as you watch the movie you will noticed that half the time you will not understand it, that's that the comic "adresses"

For today's comic I went all tributy and stuff.
I was watching the Blamanimations and I just had to do something. It's sketching because I just needed to get it out so I did it rather fast, not really plan on finishing it up but if you guys like it I'll fix it up and actually clean it. There's 4 easter eggs, see if you can find them.
EDIT
I won't be able to fix it because I didn't know that ones you re sized the comic to it's actual size and saved it, you can't go back.
DOUBLE EDIT
I would love some comments on the mushroom animations.

the lines are good on your mushroom animation, though I would consider toning down the color a bit. It's a little saturated. But the main issue with it is the eyes. They don't match up from frame to frame, they kind of jump around on his head.

And this is gonna come up, so I'll say it now, when I saw him, I thought "Good god, it's a dick!" Just my first impression.

Thanks for commenting, you've been of great help. I think I'll put that guy on hold because I just can't seem to fix him I'll go back to it when I get a little better. The dick issue has come up so many times it's just...

A sketchy sketch for a comic strip that actually looked funny on my head (might had lost all of it's funny aspects in the transition. 3 Days down, I actually feel happy cause I never commit all the way with this little projects.

Today's strip or sketchy strip at least, I think I'm going to make a habit of inking and actually finishing everything as the week goes by, any tips on Character design? In fact, anything you say is and will be greatly appreciated.

Also here's the dialog they will have.
P1
[1] Why are you still playing Call of Duty?
[1] That game's stupid
[2] Shut up!!
P2
[2] Fuck!!! They killed me, thank you.
[1] You wouldn't last a day in the Army.
[2] Wanna bet?
P3
[2] Come on, why doesn't this elevator (glitch in which you sky rocket toward the sky) work?

I know it's tough, friend, but go ahead and finish these strips. It's really hard to get better if you just do rough sketches. The real practice is when you're creating a finished product. I learned something really interesting from 'Webcomics Weekly' (and awesome podcast every webcomic artist should hear. linky)

Anyway, they said, "The more you talk about the project you're going to do, the less likely it's going to get done." Every artist has this pang to get their ideas into other people's faces. It's a very satisfying experience. When you tell people "I'm gonna do this awesome graphic novel about <subject>" you've already cheated yourself by giving people the comic in nice, easy word form without you ever having to draw it. I've cheated myself this way. There's a graphic novel I want to draw, but I refuse to tell anyone what it's about or it'll never get done.

ANYHOO, draw those strips, man. I want to see them.

As for the humor, I am the last person to have any input on jokes. I am very twisted and not a typical webcomic reader. It's like I'm no longer receptive to pot, so now only heroin will get me out of bed in the morning. Mmmm heroin.

Hehe, thanks for the advice. actually, Yesterday I downloaded like 38 episodes of it, already on the 5th. Thanks for all the comments and for everything you have done to help me. Also, started inking the Costume Quest one (just finished inking the first panel...)

Hehe, thanks for the advice. actually, Yesterday I downloaded like 38 episodes of it, already on the 5th. Thanks for all the comments and for everything you have done to help me. Also, started inking the Costume Quest one (just finished inking the first panel...)

First thing I noticed was the sword in the last panel. Is he supposed to be throwing it? If so his hand isn't quite right. Mimicking the action you want with your own hand is a good way to figure out what it would look like, this also applies to expressions/poses/etc. Plus the sword is in a bad spot because it's sort of aligned with the other character's hand.

Only other thing I would mention is the Jack-o-lantern in the back of panel 1. If it's supposed to be a pumpkin you should probably flesh it out a little, because it's in the exact spot the 2nd character's head is coming out at, so it sort of looks like he's back in the shadows and stepping forward in panel 2.

SeraphSword on August 2010

Mastery is the result of ceaseless error, combined with ruthless self-appraisal.

It made me laugh but only because of the "Look it up!" Someone would pretty much have to look the game up to know what you're talking about.

The best Penny Arcade game jokes work whether you're familiar with the game or not. Even being familiar with Costume Quest, this comic makes no sense. The trailer doesn't suggest that the game is about going door to door stabbing people. It actually looks like you do go around collecting candy and then fighting monsters.

well, now it's not clear why the person at the door would think he wants candy. If you want to imply the halloween premise, you need to make it explicit in the environment. But if I were you I'd just move on. Even given the best possible execution, the joke isn't particularly original.

It made me laugh but only because of the "Look it up!" Someone would pretty much have to look the game up to know what you're talking about.Well, at least it got a laugh out of someone.
The best Penny Arcade game jokes work whether you're familiar with the game or not. Even being familiar with Costume Quest, this comic makes no sense. The trailer doesn't suggest that the game is about going door to door stabbing people. It actually looks like you do go around collecting candy and then fighting monsters.Yeah I read that but the only thing that went to my mind was "What if the night of hallowen the kids from Costume Quest went on a killing spree?
Basically, your writing needs work.Any tips?
Also, I would check out the free comic book fonts at http://www.blambot.comChecked out a few of the free fonts and I think I like this one a lot.http://www.blambot.com/font_sundaycomics.shtml
Do you think it's any good?

well, now it's not clear why the person at the door would think he wants candy. If you want to imply the halloween premise, you need to make it explicit in the environment.This is what it's missing, thank you. If I added a few pumpkins I think the joke will become clearer.
But if I were you I'd just move on. Even given the best possible execution, the joke isn't particularly original.I was thinking that but how do I plan to learn if I don't finish anything?

Adding pumpkins will not make this strip funny. It doesn't make any sense.

Try to think about it from the point of view of the reader:

-Kid in Halloween costume shows up at someone's door on Halloween.
-Person at door offers the kid candy.
-Kid says "No. This is Costume Quest".
-Kid stabs person at door.

There's no joke there. The game has nothing to do with going door to door stabbing people. If it had been a kid dressed as Niko from Grand Theft Auto IV going door to door beating people up and taking their candy it might make a little more sense. It still wouldn't be very funny but at least it would make sense.

In this case he might as well be saying "This is Tetris!" What does Tetris have to do with stabbing people? Nothing and neither does Costume Quest.

Haha. Like DMAC, I actually like that "look it up" phrase. It just makes the whole thing ridiculous.

I think if you are serious about becoming a better artist, you should do some studies from real life. You don't have to stop cartooning, but doing realistic, traditional art will help you understand cartoons better and give you the ability to interpret life as you see it.

If it helps me become better, I'm up for it. Although would you suggest any links or places that can help with the traditional media? I'm just bad when it comes to picking things to study and all that.